CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers walked out of Bank of America Stadium late Monday morning, and every player I talked to was confident they had the leadership and talent to be something in 2012.

I suspect last season Tampa Bay was similarly confident. The Buccaneers won 10 games in the 2010 season. This year they quit and their coach was fired.

For Carolina to contend in 2012 it has to do several things right.

The Panthers have to: Again select the right player in the first round of the draft.

All they need is a pass rusher, an interior run stopper, an offensive lineman, a linebacker, a cornerback and maybe a safety.

But they don’t have to invest their first-round pick on any of them. They can afford to take the best talent available.

The player I’d love to see trickle down is Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon. If he does, the Panthers should (A) drop to their knees and (B) take him.

Most mock drafts have Blackmon going long before the Panthers select. But most January mock drafts are comical.

Last season some had the Panthers taking quarterback Blaine Gabbert with the top pick. The Panthers did consider Gabbert. They considered him about as long as you’ll consider what to eat for lunch.

The Panthers have to: Hope their young players develop. Terrell McClain, a rookie defensive tackle who was a third-round pick, had moments. Next season, he’ll need more.

Brandon Hogan, a cornerback who went one round after McClain, is usually injured. If he’s finally healthy, he has the talent to start.

The Panthers also have to: Hope their veterans develop. Safety Sherrod Martin, who always looked as if he was going to be good, has been erratic. Giving up the late first-half touchdown to New Orleans Sunday was Carolina’s single worst defensive play of 2011.

The Panthers have to: Hope the second-tier free agents they sign contribute.

Just so you know, they again will not pursue high-priced celebrity free-agents. Like Green Bay and Pittsburgh, the Panthers will fill their roster through the draft and supplement those draft choices with second-tier free agents.

Examples of second-tier free agents are two players they added before the 2011 season: Ron Edwards, a 315-pound defensive tackle, who tore his triceps in training camp and never played; and tight end Jeremy Shockey, who provided Newton with a dependable target.

I can live with Carolina’s free agent philosophy as long as the Panthers draft well and retain the free agents they develop.

Lastly, the Panthers have to: try to hang on to offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski.

Chudzinski was able to install his system and instill his philosophy in his first season without the customary mini-camps, with a short training camp and a rookie quarterback. He is the most creative coach the Panthers have had.

The Jaguars can make him a head coach.

Advantage: Jacksonville.

If he accepts the job, the Jaguars are unlikely to allow him to commute.

Advantage: Charlotte.

The Panthers are as optimistic as a 6-10 team is allowed to be. But momentum ends when the season does. The next eight months will be as important as the past four.

The Carolina Panthers played the New Orleans Saints on Jan. 1^st in the final regular season game. The Panthers were hoping to continue their strong end of season play, while the Saints were looking to clinch a better playoff seed. The Saints came out big winners, 45-17.

Cam Newton and the Carolina offense never really got going. Newton threw for 158 yards as he completed 15 of his 25 passes with a touchdown and an interception. Jonathan Stewart had a good day running the ball as he rushed for 79 yards on nine carries, scoring a touchdown. DeAngelo Williams rushed for 53 yards on his seven carries. Steve Smith broke Mushin Muhammed’s all-time receptions record as a Panther. Smith caught six passes for 86 yards and a touchdown.

However, this game was really all about the Saints and their high-powered offense. The Saints broke records for offensive yards (7, 474), team yards passing (5, 347) and first downs (416). Drew Bress also set another individual record, breaking his own for completion percentage he set back in 2009 with a 70.6 completion percentage. He finished this season completing 71.6.

Against the Panthers, Brees threw for 389 yards with five touchdowns and an interception, completing 28 of 35 passes. Marques Colston led the Saints in receiving with seven catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Jimmy Graham also had a strong game catching eight balls for 97 yards. The Saints even got a great effort from the rushing game. Chris Ivory ran for 127 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

The Panthers kept the game close at half time, but the Saints pulled away after the intermission. With such a dominating offensive display by the Saints, it was always going to be tough for Carolina to pull out a victory.

However, with the loss the season can still be considered a success. The Panthers were a much better and more exciting team with Cam Newton than they were a year ago. Also, they were in mostly every game this season and with strengthening in the off-season through the draft and free agency, the Panthers should be competing for a playoff spot next year.

The future for the Panthers is certainly much brighter than it was a year ago and even after the blowout loss, I am excited to see what the Panthers can do in the 2012 season.

*All stats found on espn.com

Although living several hundred miles from Charlotte, Matthew Levine bleeds Carolina blue. He has followed the Panthers since their inaugural season in 1995 and was absolutely heart-broken over the 2003 Super Bowl loss to the Patriots.

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Drew Brees
and
Cam Newton
both wrote their names into the NFL record books in Week 16, adding acclaim to what have been fantastic campaigns from each.

While Newton looks to conclude his tremendous rookie season on a high note, it remains to be seen if Brees will take the field
at home Sunday against the
Carolina Panthers
with the playoff-bound
New Orleans Saints
possibly choosing to err on the side of caution.

Brees threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns – breaking Dan Marino’s mark of 5,084 passing yards set in 1984 – and the Saints
clinched their second NFC South title in three years with Monday night’s 45-16 rout of Atlanta.

“This record isn’t about one person. There might be just one name that goes in ledger under the record, but it’s really about
the team,” Brees told his teammates. “I want everyone to feel a huge part of this, that this record would not have been possible
without them.”

New Orleans (12-3), which has the third seed in the NFC locked up, can only improve its postseason position with both a victory
over the Panthers (6-9) and an unlikely San Francisco loss to St. Louis. Given the circumstances, coach Sean Payton could
choose to rest Brees for most – if not all – of Sunday’s game.

Payton found himself in a similar situation after clinching the division early in 2009. He decided to hold Brees out of the
regular-season finale at Carolina that year before ultimately leading New Orleans to its first Super Bowl championship in
franchise history.

“It was what we needed to do as a team (at that time). “You make decisions. They are not always right. You try to make them
with the right things to help your team,” said Payton, whose team has outscored opponents by an average of 15.6 points during
a seven-game winning streak.

“We just have to be smart. We are playing well, with some momentum. Each year is different.”

With 5,087 passing yards, Brees enters Week 17 just 190 ahead of New England’s
Tom Brady
– leaving Payton with a difficult decision. With the Patriots needing a win to clinch the top spot in the AFC, Brady could
very well surpass Brees’ mark if the Saints’ QB doesn’t play.

“I’m not really aware of the space between the two. I am probably better off not knowing,” Payton said.

“(We have to) put ourselves in the best position to play well and put ourselves in an opportunity to win a championship.”

Chase Daniel
, now in his second NFL season, figures to start if Brees is held out. Daniel has attempted just five career passes.

Though the Panthers will miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season, they have plenty to be excited about heading into
next year thanks to Newton. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft has led Carolina to four wins in five games and helped
post the second-highest scoring output in franchise history during Saturday’s 48-16 dismantling of Tampa Bay.

Newton completed 12 of 17 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns, surpassing
Peyton Manning
‘s previous record for passing yards by a rookie.

“For me to come in and do this is a tribute to so many people, including my coaches,” Newton, who’s thrown for 3,893 yards
and run for another 674, told the team’s official website.

“(My teammates) make my job easy. All I’ve got to do is put the ball in their vicinity, and they do the rest.”

While others have certainly stepped up – most notably wideout
Steve Smith
– Newton has accounted for 34 of Carolina’s 45 offensive touchdowns. His 14 rushing TDs are the most by a quarterback in NFL
history.

“I believe there is certainly that kind of talent in the locker where we can certainly take the next step and become a very
competitive football team (next year),” coach Ron Rivera said. “We have that ability.”

Smith, who along with center
Ryan Kalil
will represent the Panthers at the Pro Bowl, is four receptions away from surpassing Muhsin Muhammad’s team record of 696.

Carolina has dropped three straight in this series, but will look to take another step in the right direction with a win Sunday
– no matter who the Saints have under center.

“Either way, New Orleans is going to have to win, so they’re going to have to play and play hard. We’re going to show up and
play as hard as we can, too,” Rivera said. “You want their best shot. You want to give your best shot and you want to take
their best shot.”

The Panthers found themselves on the verge of victory Oct. 9 but suffered a 30-27 defeat after Brees found
Pierre Thomas
for a six-yard touchdown with 50 seconds remaining.

The Saints, who have won all seven games at the Superdome this season, have never gone 8-0 at home.

The New Orleans Saints host the Carolina Panthers today at noon at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The game will be televised by Fox and broadcast by WWL-870 and 105.3.

Coaches: Sean Payton (61-34 regular season; 4-2 postseason in six seasons, all with the Saints), Ron Rivera (6-9 in first season with Panthers)

TV: Fox-8; Joe Buck play-by-play, Troy Aikman color.

Radio: WWL-870, 105.3.

KEEP AN EYE ON

PANTHERS QB CAM NEWTON

Well, duh, but according to Saints defenders, Newton is a rare, complete package. First, he can run (14 rushing touchdowns this season). “Normally there are a lot of plays where, on defense, you’re 11 going on 10 because you don’t have to account for the quarterback,” linebacker Scott Shanle said. “That’s not the case here. It’s almost like he creates another gap.” In the example Shanle cited, an old school run has the fullback leading a halfback through the hole. One linebacker takes on the fullback, another makes the tackle. But the Panthers can line up their fullback like a wingback and, when the defense adjusts to account for that, the unit is a man short if Newton runs off a play-action fake. In the passing game, Newton’s howitzer arm creates problems. Even in the NFL, many quarterbacks can’t make all the throws once they break containment, safety Malcolm Jenkins said. That means in most games, safeties can cheat, give up on receivers on the far side and collapse the field toward the quarterback. But because Newton can make the deep throw back across, Jenkins said the secondary has to hold its ground even when Newton is on the move, which creates more space for Newton to exploit once he crosses the line of scrimmage and makes it more likely defenders Newton does encounter have to take him on one on one. And if there is another thing that sets Newton apart, Shanle and Jenkins both said, it is his size. At 6 feet 5, 248 pounds, Newton is an intimidating and difficult man to tackle.

PANTHERS WR STEVE SMITH

This is partly a football judgment, because Smith is a very good receiver who has hurt the Saints in the past. He has eight touchdown catches against New Orleans in his career. During his 11 years in the NFL, Smith has averaged better than six yards after the catch, and New Orleans comes into the game allowing the highest yards after the catch in the NFL. Smith credits rookie quarterback Cam Newton with rejuvenating what appeared to be a career in embers, and Smith, an 11-year veteran, has enjoyed a Pro Bowl season with 73 catches for 1,308 yards and six touchdowns. But what will also bear close watching today is Smith’s relationship with the New Orleans secondary because Smith got a nice chunk of his 2011 statistics — along with a post-TD end zone smash — when the Saints visited Charlotte, N.C. In that game, Smith had three catches for 79 yards, 54 of which came on a scoring grab that ended with him sauntering in the end zone and taking a blind side late hit from safety Roman Harper. Harper absorbed a $15,000 fine from the league for his message, and Smith is known to be a brash, outspoken sort of player. Taking the safe route, perhaps, Coach Sean Payton and several players insist that sort of thing rarely carries over even though some tension has always existed between Smith and the Saints since they play each other often as division rivals. As might be expected, Payton had nothing but high praise for Smith, whom he coached in the Pro Bowl after the 2006 season. In particular, Payton said that setting gives insight into the things a player brings to the game that don’t show up on tape, and Smith’s dedication and superb conditioning are what make him “explosive” to this day.

KEY MATCHUP

SAINTS S ROMAN HARPER vs.

CAROLINA TEs JEREMY SHOCKEY and GREG OLSEN

Carolina will rely on its ground attack — the Panthers are on the cusp of becoming the first team in NFL history with three players rushing for more than 700 yards in a season — but the reliable tight end tandem has proved the rookie quarterback’s best friend. Olsen, acquired in an off-season trade with the Bears, is second on the team with 45 catches for 540 yards and five scores. Shockey, the former Saint, carries a streak of 135 regular-season games played with a reception and has caught 34 passes for 437 yards and four touchdowns. Twice this year, most recently against the Falcons on Dec. 11, each has caught a touchdown pass in a game. Though he will have help, Harper is likely to be the main defender on the pair. “I wouldn’t say, ‘old times,’” Harper laughed when asked about playing Shockey. “Shock’s always good to go up against, he’s always teaching me stuff when he was here, and I still use a lot of those tactics today. So it’s always a fun matchup with him because he talks and he’s, he’s just Shockey. Olsen is also a very talented guy. I think Olsen is younger so he probably runs a little bit better than Shockey does now, that’s just downfieldwise. But I would also say Shockey is a little bit more savvy in his routes and doing some things like that. They’re both big and can run. So you look at them and there’s not a lot that’s different, and you have to respect both of their games.”

BY THE NUMBERS

17-16 – Panthers lead all-time vs. New Orleans. 3-0 – Saints’ active win streak against Carolina. 32 – Saints’ NFL rank in surrendering yards after catch. 2 – Saints’ NFL rank in yards gained after catch. 48.1 – Saints’ third-down conversion rate since 2006, best in the NFL. 56.3 – Saints’ third-down conversion rate in 2011. 4 – NFL records Brees has set and is still adding to thus far in 2011.

FROM THE COACH’S MOUTH

“There’s a lot of improvement statistically. We try to do a PowerPoint every Wednesday on the things we see with the opponent, and statistically there are a ton of areas that they’re playing better than they were the last time we played them. The last time we played them I think we were only three or four games into the season. There’s some uniqueness to what they do offensively, certainly it starts with the quarterback and his ability to hurt you with his arm and hurt you with his legs. He’s very talented. The players around him are playing exceptionally well. They’re doing a better job with the football, so there are a lot of areas where they’ve improved in, and it showed up when you look at their recent games. I think it’s a big test for us.” – Sean Payton on the Panthers.

The head coach of the New Orleans Saints (12-3) said he is still planning to play his starters against the Carolina Panthers (6-9) on Sunday.

Sean Payton’s decision means quarterback Drew Brees will be adding to his NFL record 5,087 passing yards this season.

Brees said there are other records he might wind up breaking against the Panthers, but the focus is really not setting or extending records.

He is concentrating on being ready to seize an unlikely opportunity should the 49ers falter and preparing this team to go into the playoff hitting on all cylinders, a lesson it may not have learned at the end of last season.

“Still kind of pinch yourself that that really happened, but maybe, just because we’re so locked in with where we’re at and what we still have to accomplish, that it’s not necessarily time to reflect,” Brees said. “We can do that after the season. We’re still thinking about what’s ahead.”

In the first meeting between the teams this season, the Saints scored with less than a minute left in the game to squeak out a 30-27 win. Brees finished the game with 359 yards through the air and two touchdowns.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns, including a 54-yard TD toss to wide receiver Steve Smith. Newton also scored on a QB sneak.

Newton has had his own record-breaking season. He broke Peyton Manning’s single-season rookie record for most passing yards in a season. Manning finished with 3,739 yards in the 1998 season. Newton currently has 3,893 after a 48-16 win over the Tampa Bay Bucs on Saturday.

Kickoff is scheduled for noon inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints are a perfect 7-0 at home this season and enter the game on a 7-game win streak.

Carolina has won its last two games.

Click here to watch highlights from Saints-Panthers on Oct. 9

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